India Suspends Indus Waters Treaty, Shuts Attari Border In Strong Response To Pakistan

The Cabinet Committee on Security or CCS – the country’s highest-decision making body on national security has taken some strict and punishing measures against Pakistan over the “cross-border linkages” that have surfaced in the investigation over the dastardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people, including one foreign national, were killed.

The boldest move has been to suspend the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan indefinitely. With this, the water supply from the Indus river and its distributaries – the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj will be stopped. These rivers are the water supply for Pakistan and impacts tens of millions of people in that country.

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on September 19, 1960. The pact was signed between India and Pakistan, with the World Bank brokering the agreement. That treaty withstood three wars between India and Pakistan – in 1965, 1971, and 1999, but is now suspended indefinitely.

Announcing the measure, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of elections in the Union Territory and its steady progress towards economic growth and development.”

He went on to say that “Recognising the seriousness of this terrorist attack, the CCS decided upon the following measures:”

1. The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
2. The Integrated Check Post Attari-Wagah border will be closed with immediate effect. Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before 01 May 2025.
3. Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled. Any Pakistani national currently in India under SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India.
4. The defence or military officials – Naval and air advisers in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own defence – navy, air advisers from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled with immediate effect. Five support staff of the service advisers will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions immediately.
5. The overall strength of the High Commissions will be brought down to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions, to be effected by 01 May 2025.

In addition to these, Mr Misri also announced that “The CCS reviewed the overall security situation and directed all forces to maintain high vigil. It resolved that the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account. As with the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana, India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror, or conspired to make them possible.”

Reacting to the decision to suspend the Indus treaty, Water Resources Minister CR Paatil said, “In the past too, an ultimatum was given to them (Pakistan) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Action was taken in the past, and this time too the perpetrators shall not be spared. As for the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, it has been a very good decision taken by the Cabinet.”

THE INDUS WATERS TREATY – AND WHAT IT MEANS TO SUSPEND IT

Under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty governing six common rivers, India has the complete right over the waters of three rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, while Pakistan has the right over waters of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.

The Indus Waters Treaty has been one of the very rare long-standing treaties between India and Pakistan and has remained the single most successful example of cooperation between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

In 2019 too, after the Pulawama terror attack, against paramilitary personnel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly told the Cabinet Committee on Security that “blood and water can’t flow together.” But at the time, chose not to implement it.

But in the wake of this cowardly attack by Pakistan-based terrorist group The Resistance Front, who have claimed responsibility for killing 26 tourists in Kashmir, the top decision-making body in India has decided to suspend the water-sharing treaty.

The Resistance Front is an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.

A water supply problem will be a matter of grave concern for Pakistan. In recent years, experts have warned that Pakistan is already on the brink of an era of acute water shortage caused by a combination of factors – among them population growth, climate change, and poor water management.

In the past, when suspending the Indus treaty was being considered by India, Pakistan had said that a move to exit the treaty would be perceived in Islamabad as “an act of war.”

New Delhi’s decision to suspend the water-sharing treaty reflects the depths of New Delhi’s frustration with Islamabad over Pakistan’s use of terrorism as an “instrument of state policy”.